Updates and Articles
SMW Works With StopWaste.Org to Draft One of First Countywide Plastic Bag Bans
In 2012, the firm assists the Alameda County Waste Management Authority in drafting, preparing the EIR for, and implementing a countywide ban on single-use plastic bags in grocery stores. The ban is later expanded to include all retail establishments as well.
Read MoreSMW Protects Parks and Greenbelt Along San Joaquin River
The firm successfully challenges in court Fresno County's approval of 5,000 homes adjacent to the San Joaquin River Parkway. The firm is then able to negotiate a settlement that forces the developer to mitigate its project's impacts on the parks and other public resources within the Parkway. (San Joaquin Parkway and Conservation Trust v. County of Fresno (2012).)
Read MoreLocal Land Use Rules Upheld
The firm obtains an appellate ruling upholding the City of Morgan Hill's land use restrictions against a claim they unconstitutionally discriminated against an individual property owner. (Arcadia v. City of Morgan Hill, 197 Cal.App.4th 1526 (2011).)
Read MoreProtecting California’s Redwood Forests
In 2011 the firm begins representing Save the Redwoods League, the premier organization that has protected California redwood forests for more than a century. SMW assists the League in purchasing forests and surrounding lands and conservation easements. SMW is working with the League and its partners to acquire permits for a new National and State Park Visitor Center in Northern California.
Read MoreNinth Circuit Upholds Tribal Court Jurisdiction over Non-Indian Trespassers
The firm represents the Colorado River Indian Tribes in tribal court actions to regain lands from non-Indian holdover tenants, resulting in a watershed Ninth Circuit ruling upholding tribal court jurisdiction. (Water Wheel Camp Recreation Area, Inc. v. LaRance, 642 F.3d 802 (9th Cir. 2011).)
Read MoreDefending the Public Purse Against Unfair Claims
On appeal, the firm secures the reversal of a potentially devastating attorneys' fee award against the Silverado Modjeska Recreation and Parks District. (Silverado Modjeska Recreation and Parks District v. County of Orange, 197 Cal.App.4th 282 (2011).)
Read MoreSMW Sues to Force County to Implement Voter Initiative
The firm prevails in a lawsuit forcing Solano County to comply with Measure E, an initiative that prohibits the importation of solid waste into the County's landfills. (Sierra Club v. Solano County (2011).)
Read MoreQuarry Transformed into Park
The firm advises the City of Saratoga in acquiring a former quarry to be redeveloped as a park subject to a conservation easement and in subsequent park planning and operations. The park opens in 2015 and in 2020 the City opens a trail providing access to Sanborn County Park and, from there, to open space and trails leading to the Pacific Ocean.
Read MoreSettlement Protects Foresthill Community in Placer County
Photo Credit: jen, Flickr, CC BY 2.0 After filing litigation, the firm negotiates a settlement for the Foresthill community in Placer County that limits sprawl development on sensitive rural lands in a high fire risk area and provides protection for the American River. (Foresthill Residents for Responsible Growth v. Placer County (2011).)
Read MoreSMW Defends Program for Protection of Farmland
The court of appeal upholds the authority of local governments to require dedication of conservation easements to mitigate the loss of farmland caused by new development. (Building Industry Assn. of Central California v. County of Stanislaus, 190 Cal. App. 4th 582 (2010).)
Read MoreFirm Assists in Securing Massive Federal Funds for Public Transit Project
In 2010 the firm assists the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) in its receipt of a $400 million grant under the federal Stimulus Act and a $171 million loan from the federal government to fund construction of the new transit center.
Read MoreLargest Brownfields Renewal Project in San Francisco Approved at Hunters Point
On behalf of the former San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, the firm negotiates land exchange agreements with the state that will enable the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and Candlestick Point to be developed with 300 acres of new parks and more than 12,000 housing units, over 30% of them affordable. The firm drafted the state legislation (SB 792) authorizing the agreements.
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